1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a magnetic head slider adapted for use with a magnetic head flying on an air cushion over a moving magnetic media for recording and reproducing tracks of information and, more particularly, to a microminimonolithic magnetic head slider having an aerodynamic surface that is adapted to be positioned adjacent to a moving magnetic media during operation and wherein the aerodynamic surface includes a pair of spaced, parallel load rails and a wedged-shaped central rail. A portion of the aerodynamic surface trailing edge is utilized as one pole piece of a magnetic core.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of magnetic head slider assemblies is well known in the magnetic recording field. Magnetic head slider assemblies are utilized in hard disk applications, including the well known "Winchester" type rotating disk memory systems. Typically, the magnetic head slider is fabricated to have an aerodynamic surface on the surface thereof which is adapted to interact with a magnetic media moving in a direction towards the slider. One typical magnetic head slider, which is utilized in such applications, is illustrated in FIG. 1 and is labeled "Prior Art". In the prior art magnetic head slider illustrated in FIG. 1, a ceramic-type material is utilized for fabricating a magnetic head slider, show generally as 20, which has a slider body shown generally as 22. The slider body 22 is adapted to interact with the magnetic disk and does so through an aerodynamic surface 24 formed thereon. In the prior art magnetic head sliders, the trailing edge 26 of the slider is in the form of a vertically extending surface which is utilized at one side of a magnetic pole piece. A "C" shaped core material, shown generally as 30 and having an upper end 32 and a lower end 34, is adapted to be operatively attached to the planar surface 26 of the magnetic head slider body 22. The "C" shaped magnetic core 30 has its upper arm 32 positioned to engage the slider body 22 at the upper end thereof to form a magnetic closure path. The other arm 34 is adapted to cooperate with the lower portion of planar surface 26 to form the other side of the magnetic gap. Thus, a magnetic gap 36 is formed between the planar surface 26 of the magnetic slider body 22 as one pole piece and the other pole piece 34 is defined by the "C" shaped magnetic core. The gap 36 is filled with a glass material 40 which provides the bonding of the two elements together to form an integral magnetic head slider assembly.
As is known in the art, a magnetic head slider flexure is used for loading and unloading a magnetic head slider assembly onto a rotating disk memory. One such magnetic head slider flexure is used in the IBM Standard 3370 type suspension assembly.
In the typical prior art rotating disk memories, the spacing between coaxial, aligned rotating disks are typically in the order of 0.250 inches (6.35 mm). In applications having limited disk spacing, the vertical height of the magnetic head slider may provide a limitation in the ability to reduce the spacing between the coaxial aligned rotating disks. The typical height of a magnetic head slider body of the prior art is in the order of 0.050 inches (1.27 mm).
In addition, in the known prior art magnetic head slider assemblies the vertical trailing edge 26 is utilized as one of the two pole pieces for defining the magnetic gap 36. The linkage from the pole piece 34 couples around the gap from the pole piece 34 to the trailing edge 36, thereby bypassing the gap 36. This is referred to in the art as leakage flux. Thus a certain portion of the magnetic flux is lost due to the physical proximity between the magnetic pole piece 34, defining one side of the gap 36, and the trailing edge 26 of the magnetic head slider body 22, which defines the other side of the gap 36.